First Year Assessments
At the end of their first year in the program, students will be sent a letter their progress during the year. The content of this letter will be based on faculty discussion of students’ performance in the first year courses, and will be written by the Director of Graduate Studies. The intent of the assessment is provide constructive feedback on individual students’ strengths and weaknesses, indicating areas that they can build on or need to develop during subsequent years in the PhD program. In the event that a student’s performance in the first year courses leads the faculty to conclude that the student will not succeed in the PhD program, the function of this letter will be to communicate the decision that the student should seek a terminal MA.
Qualifying Papers
Students must write and defend two qualifying papers, dealing with two of the following fields:1. Phonetics/Phonology
2. Morphology/Syntax
3. Semantics/Pragmatics
4. Socio/Historical Linguistics
The qualifying paper is an extensive original research paper, which should demonstrate both the ability to conduct independent research and an appropriate assessment of the position of the research in the broader intellectual context and history of the relevant (sub)field. It is written in consultation with two faculty members and must be approved by them after an oral examination; this defense is not public. The paper is generally 35-50 pages (double-spaced) in length, and the oral exam is typically one hour, during which the faculty may ask the student about the paper itself and about the general field it is written in, and during which the student is expected to demonstrate wide knowledge of the relevant field(s) of linguistics.
The student must submit the first qualifying paper by the first day of the fifth week of Spring quarter of the second year. This paper is an equivalent to an MA thesis for students leaving the program after the second year or for those wishing a non-terminal MA for any other reason. Students who do not meet this deadline cannot continue in the program.
No later than two weeks after the submission of the first qualifying paper, the committee must schedule the oral exam in consultation with the student to decide on the acceptability of the paper. The committee may recommend to the faculty:
• To pass the paper.
• To conditionally pass the paper, specifying the revisions that have to be made in consultation with the supervisor.
• To fail the paper.
The faculty will communicate the results to the student. A student who fails the first qualifying paper examination may petition the Department to be given another opportunity to complete it. If permission is denied, the student must withdraw from the PhD program. If the permission is granted, the student has four weeks to submit the new qualifying paper.
By the fifth week of the spring quarter of the third year, the student must submit the second qualifying paper, which is subject to the same evaluation procedure as the first QP.